The Nobodies That Never Were
by ShawtyyMusume
Summary: Two members of the infamous Organisation XIII turn rogue after learning of Xemnas' real plan. An unlikely alliance is formed between them and their enemy Sora, the Keyblade master under strange circumstances. Will the alliance last or waver? OCs.
1. All In A Day's Work

_**Author's Note: This is a special collaboration story with fellow fanfic writer 'WriterRoxas' who's a very good friend of mine. Took us a while to write our first chapter (when you're trying to balance this and our college work it can be very difficult hehe *scratches head*) but we eventually got it done. Enjoy!**_

Crashing to the ground with a grunt, the shadow glared at its opponent through large luminous orbs in rage whereas a figure clad in nothing but black, stared blankly back at it. The creature immediately rose from the ground, levitating a few feet from the air as it tightly gripped its sword.

"Figured this would be tougher," the cloaked young man said, sounding incredibly bored. "Guess the sword's just for show."

The creature hissed violently at his words, and prepared to lunge. The boy didn't move or prepare to counter-attack, only folded his arms and waited. It growled and charged, sword thrust towards the boy's chest. Still, he didn't move - there wasn't any need to.

Barely an inch from the young man's chest, the swords tip suddenly halted. The boy smirked ever so slightly as his opponent struggled to move, apparently fighting some invisible force.

"Were you the designated weakling of the group?" the boy taunted, although he expected no response.

He doubted that the things really understood English at all. They would react to the emotions behind the words; not that the boy himself possessed any.

"Ya done talking to it?" a female voice asked from nearby. "Or are you going to start a philosophical discussion about _The Heart_ next?"

"I thought it was decided that I was the snarky one?" the boy retorted as he held his hands out on either side summoning dark energy which gathered around them.

The sword-wielding shadow, meanwhile, finally had the sense to try retreating, and promptly did so. Only to be blocked by some other invisible wall.

The young man gave the creature another blank look, a cymbal held in either hand. Unlike normal cymbals, the boy's particular model was as black as his cloak, with razor sharp edges.

With not many choices available, the shadowy creature decided to try another lunge attack. This time, there was no wall to block it, but the boy was aware of that little fact. Sidestepping the simple lunge, the young man extended his right arm, letting the creature practically shred itself on his weapon.

Falling to the ground, wisps of a black, smoke-like substance began to rise to the air. His job done, the boy's weapons instantly disappeared.

"Well, guess we're finally done?" the female voice asked, and another cloaked figure fell from a rooftop above.

Wearing an identical cloak, it was obvious these two figures were affiliated (not that anyone would know who or what they were). The Organisation was very secretive. It probably helped that no one ever seemed to be around when a member had to go hunting Heartless.

"Might as well head back," the male replied, and extended his hand once again.

This time, a portal of darkness sprung from the ground, leading to their next destination. "Let's report to 'Lycan McGee' and proceed to stare blankly at a wall until tomorrow."

The female sighed. "The usual then? Not very adventurous, are you?"

"Not my fault the base is lacking in pastimes."

"Well, how 'bout we put some blue hair dye in Larxene's shampoo?" The girl suggested with a sly – yet unseen- smirk. "You can still see traces of the pink dye from last time!"

The corners of the male's mouth rose slightly, forming into the shape of a smile. "Heh. Guess there's that. Want to try and cut a string on Demyx's sitar after that?"

The female stepped towards the portal, glancing over her shoulder as she spoke, "Assuming you can get him to let go of the damn thing; I've literally never seen him stop playing it."

The boy followed his companion, chuckling as he moved to pull his hood down. "Could use a challenge."

* * *

><p>"Saxen, Merix," the silver haired man greeted them coldly as the two figures emerged before him. "I assume it was a success?"<p>

"Guess so," the dark-haired boy said with a shrug. "Bit too easy for a 'powerful' Heartless, though."

"Well, duh: I was throwing walls in front of it," the girl replied, pulling her hood down and shaking her long, brown hair free of her coat.

The silver haired man - with a cross-shaped scar located above his nose - stared emotionlessly at the two with his bitter yellow eyes. "Whether or not you found it easy is irrelevant. You finished your assignment, correct?"

"Yes, Sai'x." Saxen and Merix sighed, with Merix adding a small huff at the end.

"Good."

And with that, they were wordlessly dismissed. Sai'x - the Organisation's number VI - was in charge of delegating missions to the other members, effectively making him second in command to their leader. Even for a Nobody, he was a cold, unlikable fellow…to put it nicely.

The room they were located in was large, white and circular. A whole wall was dedicated to a window view of the ever-dark sky, in which a heart-shaped moon was suspended. Saxen often wondered why Sai'x spent his free time looking at it. Sure, he understood that it was sort of important to their work, but there had to be better pastimes than moon gazing.

And speaking of pastimes…

"ARGHHHHH! Not again!" shrieked Larxene as she burst through the large, white doors in nothing but an organization-brand, deep black towel with her number imprinted in gold and lightning bolts surrounding it.

Upon viewing such a scene, Axel declared 'hot' and continued his game of cards with Roxas and Luxord (who was winning for obvious reasons).

"Well…minus the blue," chided in Merix pointing at the electric blue shade forming into Larxene's once golden (then pink) locks.

Larxene's eye began to twitch with anger as she stared with relentless rage at her fellow organization members who were gathered in the room.

"You shut up!" Larxene growled ferociously at Merix, then pointed at Axel, "And _you_! You're dead!"

"Hm?" Axel glanced up from his card game at his enraged comrade. "Me? What'd I do?"

"Take a wild guess." The blonde/pink/blue haired woman spat menacingly, and Axel made a show of pretending to think exceptionally hard.

Finally, the red, spikey-haired man shrugged, "Sorry, dunno what I've done."

"This is great!" Merix whispered to Saxen, stifling her laughter. There wasn't much chance of Larxene overhearing them as she stomped off to deal with the 'obvious' perpetrator. "She doesn't suspect a thing!"

"Must be your completely innocent face," Saxen commented.

An enraged Larxene chasing an alarmed Axel, who protested his innocence in between dodging bolts of lightning and knives, occupied the next few minutes. Roxas seemed to be the only one making an effort not to watch. Given his age, the young Nobody's reasons could've been attributed to innocence (which sometimes gets mistaken for naiveté).

Finally, after Larxene successfully chased Axel from the room - without losing the grip on her towel - Roxas and Luxord re-shuffled the deck of cards; Axel wasn't coming back for a while.

"Pub?" Saxen asked Merix in a casual tone.

"'Kay." Merix nodded as she got to her feet, still snickering over Larxene's reaction. She was probably already thinking about the next hair colour Larxene should have.

The duo were engulfed into a large portal which appeared suddenly in front of them from a mere flick of the wrist by Merix. Moments later, they stood at the entrance to a building that was quite significant for both, much like Roxas and Axel had some clock tower somewhere.

'That Pub That Wished It Was', was its name. Maybe. There wasn't a bright, neon sign proudly displaying such a title. In fact, it was quite weathered and beaten (by the Heartless, probably. Guess they can't appreciate a good drink), showing off its age.

Inside, Saxen and Merix sat at the bar counter, a pint of 'Existent-ale-ism' before each of them. They often came to this place, in between work and screwing with the other Organisation members. It was much easier to voice their thoughts without the risk of someone like Sai'x suddenly appearing and overhearing; he didn't much like 'rebellious' thoughts.

"Keep the change," said Saxen as he handed over 10 munny to the bartender.

The two clinked their pints together, drank the entire contents of it in one smooth gulp then slammed the empty glasses down onto the counter, sitting in what was a comfortable silence – their usual, a rather ritual kind of manner.

A ritual that was shattered when Saxen suddenly asked, "So how long's it been now?"

"Huh?" Merix was surprised at the question.

"Since we first came here," Saxen explained, staring at his empty pint glass. "It's been a while."

Merix looked thoughtful as she tried to recall exactly how long it had been since they were 'born'. "Uh… two years, I guess. Why?"

"Already?" Saxen frowned slightly. "Huh…"

Merix raised an eyebrow and nudged his side. "What's on your mind, then?"

Saxen remained in thoughtful silence for a moment more, while Merix impatiently awaited an answer, mindlessly tapping her foot on the black and white checkered floor in anticipation. Finally, the male turned and glanced out the window, where not much more than skyscrapers could be seen.

"Two years and we still have barely any idea what we're doing," Saxen commented. "I know we need hearts and stuff, but I'm not buying the whole 'restore ourselves' excuse."

Merix looked shocked at Saxen's words: he normally wasn't one to talk about their work. 'Too boring', he claimed. "Why not? Half the group are scientists, and they say it'll work out."

Saxen snorted. "Would _you_ believe anything Vexen says? He's shiftier looking than the Heartless."

"You feeling okay?" Merix asked suddenly in a concerned tone, moving in front of Saxen and pressed her hand to his forehead. "You don't normally speak about anything that doesn't involve screwing around with the others."

Saxen stared blankly at his friend, a small smile forming. He lightly gripped Merix's wrist and moved her hand away. "Truth be told, I think someone's keeping a secret or six from us."

Merix folded her arms, now grinning. "Your basis?"

"I just get that feeling," Saxen shrugged. "What about you? You enjoy working with the Organisation?"

Merix didn't take too long to decide. She shook her head vigorously from left to right as a response, her hair waving with the motion. Reclaiming her seat, she replied, "The hours are pretty bad, y'know? I think I preferred our brief stint of unemployment."

Saxen waved at the faceless and nameless barkeep, signaling for another round of drinks. "Seriously? You preferred having no idea who you were?"

"Uh, we did!" Merix reminded him. "You're thinking of Roxas."

"Whatever." The drinks arrived, and Saxen passed some more munny over the counter. "What I mean is, did you prefer having no meaning to your not-existence?"

* * *

><p>For the first time, her eyes blinked open (well, technically). She had woken up hundreds of times before… no, that was someone else, right?<p>

Vague memories floated through her mind, displaying events from her life. No, that person's life. Strange, she knew that person, but it was herself with the memories…

With a groan, the girl sat up, looking at her surroundings. Dark, towering buildings, ascending to the distant sky. Clouded by the skyscrapers was a bright, yellow moon. Where was this place?

The girl got to her feet, cautiously searching where she was standing. The whole city seemed deserted, as if evacuated just recently. A stranger thought; maybe no one ever lived here?

No, that wasn't right, some of the buildings were boarded up and barricaded, from the looks of things._ Someone_ had to have done that.

The brown haired girl, deciding that standing idly in an empty street wasn't all that productive, decided she should look for someone - it wasn't like there was much else to do.

For several minutes, she searched the city. Scanning the area around her, she looked for signs of life. This was odd, where was everyone? Had they really deserted this place?

Finally, the girl came to a stop and with a sigh surrendered to the darkness of the place. Perhaps she was alone here? Unless the residents were shut inside all of these colossal buildings, there wasn't a soul in sight.

Well, she could check that large, bright and ominous castle somewhere in the distance, but something told her that would be a dangerous venture. Lovely, the only inhabitants of this place were untrustworthy.

Footsteps echoed close by, and the girl was on guard, looking for the source. The noise was getting closer, and whoever was approaching was in no real rush.

Just ahead, someone rounded the corner. Some boy of similar approximate age stepped into view. He hadn't noticed the girl, too busy studying the ground as he walked.

"Hey." The girl called waving her hand in his direction. The boy looked up, slightly surprised. He didn't answer, only looked.

"…Where are we?" She asked hesitantly hoping for an answer. However, the boy only shrugged in response.

"What's your name?"

The boy glanced up at the sky, as if expecting an answer to rain down into his subconscious. When it was apparent that no, no such thing would happen, he simply replied in a matter-of-factly tone, "Don't have one."

"Did you forget?" The girl enquired, and the boy shook his head again.

"Not really mine, so I won't use it."

The brown haired girl was confused. "…The name you have isn't yours?"

"It's the same for you, right?" the male asked before glancing over his shoulder. "You remember stuff that you specifically didn't experience."

Well, the female couldn't deny that seemed to be what she was experiencing. She was remembering events that she technically never saw, and this boy was apparently going through the same.

It was then that she noticed the boy glancing over his shoulder again, as if searching for something. "Something wrong?"

The boy didn't reply immediately. He finished inspecting the area behind him before saying, "I just felt like we were being watched: had that feeling for a while."

Peeking behind him, the girl couldn't see anything from the darkness. "You sure?"

As if answering the girl's question, pale yellow spheres seemed to just blink into view from the shadows, watching them eerily.

"I am now." The male replied as more yellow lights appeared before them. From the shadows, creatures darker than the night sky emerged. They were tiny - not even knee-high - but a huge group of pitch-black monsters skittering towards you with a predatory look tended to make things look slightly more intimidating.

With a quick glance at each other, the boy and girl immediately took off in the opposite direction of the living shadows, with said creatures sinking into the ground and following.

"What are they?" The female huffed, gasping for breath, as they rounded another corner.

"Evil, I'm guessing," was the reply. There wasn't another exchange of words until they came to a stop in what was apparently a safe area: one of the buildings was actually unbarred and open.

The two exchanged a quick glance at one another then darted their gaze at this unbarred place.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" the girl enquired towards her companion.

The boy responded with, "If you're thinking of making a run for that place," he nodded his head towards the area in question, then you've got that right."

At once, the boy and girl made a dash for the unbarred place, swiftly dodging and evading creatures that suddenly came across their path. From out of nowhere, one of those monsters charged. It aimed directly for one of the young girl's legs, successfully knocking her off-balance. The girl abruptly fell backwards, hitting her head off of the ground. She lifted herself into a sitting position in one quick movement and with one of her hands, touched upon the tender lump, which was now forming.

She was preoccupied with the searing pain coming over her that the girl didn't notice three of those monsters creeping towards her, ready to attack. In a sneaky manner, they slowly crept behind the girl and were ready to pounce. The boy did not notice the girl's fall and was a few meters ahead. He turned around to look over his shoulder, surprised to find his ally was no longer by his side. The boy stopped in his tracks and scanned all around him to find the girl and could clearly see what her fate was to be.

Shock coursed through his body and straight away, he sprinted towards her, attempting to rescue his new-found (and only) ally here.

"Watch out! Behind you!" he yelled to her.

The girl blinked and looked confused at the boy's outburst but did what he said momentarily. She shrieked in horror as a reaction to the sight before her. As if the shriek was a signal, the creatures made a pounce for the girl, just like a lion would when stalking its prey, ready to silence her. Forever.

Paralysed to the ground, the girl closed her eyes whilst throwing her arm in front of her face in hopes of defending herself. All of a sudden, the creatures were gone. The girl looked around her puzzled; no sign of them.

Footsteps filled the air and soon enough, the male was at the young girl's side, "Are you alright?" he asked as he helped her to her feet.

The girl nodded, "Yeah, except my head hurts like Hell! What happened to them?"

The young man looked at her in a confused manner, "I was kinda hoping you'd tell me."

"Huh?"

"You don't really know what happened do you?" The girl shook her head. " Well, when you moved your arm, you knocked those things flying in the other direction. Right onto those buildings – you squashed them. Was cool."

The girl's eyes widened in disbelief, "What! No way! I did _that_?" The boy nodded. "Wow." She gasped as she stared at her hands.

"Don't you have any memories of doing that?" The boy asked. "A vague idea?"

The girl shook her head, and winced at the fresh wave of pain that brought. She then glanced in the direction that those monsters were allegedly thrown. Yeah, looked like she had handily disposed of them.

"Well, at any rate, we're safe now," the male commented, sounding more monotone than he was a moment ago. "Guess I should thank you as well."

"S'fine…" she muttered, still marveling at what she had done.

"Come on," the girl brought her attention back to the boy, who was already walking towards the open building titled, 'That Pub That Wished It Was'. A very strange title, thought Merix. "Might as well drink before something jumps at us again."

The female wondered why that guy would want to drink after what happened. If there had been another attack, wouldn't it be easier to flee if they weren't struggling to walk?

But on the other hand, it sounded appealing. And she would rather not be left alone, powers be damned. Silently, she followed her new companion inside.

* * *

><p>"Reminiscing is fun," Merix commented, resting her head on her arms as she leaned on the counter. "But it's getting a little late I think." She giggled, nodding her head towards the small clock that hung above the shelves of liquor which held vibrant colors of the many different brands of alcohol.<p>

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Saxen staring at the clock (or the alcohol). With a sigh, he pushed himself off of the bar stool and made his way to the exit – Merix following behind of course.

The sky in this world was it's usual pitch black, the giant silver shade of the heart-shaped moon was the only thing placing forms of color into the city shrouded completely by darkness.

Merix held out her hand palm-faced in front of her, summoning their usual means of transport. "Suppose we better head back to the castle for some sleep before Sai'x summons us…yet again," huffed Merix annoyed.

Saxen turned his head slightly into Merix's direction, "My aren't we grumpy?"

Merix folded her arms over her chest for emphasis, "Well I haven't _slept_yet," she pouted.

Saxen chuckled at her, "Come on then, wouldn't want you to miss out on any of your beauty sleep; looks like you could use some…maybe a lot," he teased when pretending to examine Merix's face.

Merix gasped, covered her face with her hands and let out a small cry, "Aw man! You had to do that didn't you?"

"If it annoys you then yes."

Merix stuck out her tongue at Saxen before running into the portal, disappearing into its blackness. Saxen soon followed, becoming shrouded entirely by the shadows and soon reappeared back in the castle's white circular room.

With a wave, Merix trudged exhaustingly down one of the many narrow hallways towards her room for some 'beauty sleep' before their next mission: which would probably be soon knowing their luck. Saxen followed his companion's actions and proceeded to go to his room to sleep - or possibly just stare at the walls blankly until summoned by either 'Mansex' or 'Lycan McGee' for a mission (Merix's theory of how Saxen likes to spend his spare hours) – closing his room door securely behind him for the night.

_**So what do you think so far? Reviews very much appreciated! WriterRoxas and I will get onto writing chapter 2 a.s.a.p. Thanks!**_


	2. Original Pranksters

"DAMMIT LARXENE!" The angry scream echoed, waking almost all of the Organization members from their slumber.

Merix opened her door slightly to poke her head out. Moving it from left to right, she investigated the hallway. Silence. Rubbing vigorously at her tired eyes, she let out a yawn and returned to her bed.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

Merix sighed, poked her head through the door and repeated her earlier actions. Nothing but quiet…yet again. _Wonder how long it'll last this time__,_ thought Merix, who was now becoming frustrated. She once again attempted to return to bed. _BANG_! _BANG_! _CRASH_! It sounded like something smashing: glass. Maybe it was one of the vases in the castle? A window? With a groan, she pushed herself from her bed - for the very last time - and marched over to Saxen's room, hoping he would be able to help her get to the bottom of this (and finally get some sleep). She pounded on the door with her fist in annoyance until he finally answered.

The door swung open, "What's up with you?" Saxen answered in his usual monotone voice.

Merix scanned her companion, "Why don't you look exhausted?" she cried.

"Because I don't," he replied matter-of-factly. "You never answered my question: what's up with you, other than your terrible choice of PJs."

Merix was standing in her favorite pair of 'Hello Kitty' PJs (a white tank-top with the cat's face on the front and pink bottoms to match her pink fuzzy slippers). "What's wrong with them? Don't diss the cat!" she remarked.

"Okay, how about obvious bedhead style you've got going on."

"…"

"Or the fact that you're standing at my door holding a 'Chocobo' plush toy under your arm like a child."

"Okay! That's enough! I'm already suffering from lack of sleep. I can tolerate your constant dissing of everything about me but then you decide to attack my Chocobo with verbal abuse! That is _so_not cool," Merix yelled furiously.

"…. Or that you're very bad-tempered early in the morning."

Merix took a deep breath, held it for a couple of seconds, then exhaled (a method of hers she uses to calm down), "Are you done?"

"For now," smirked Saxen.

"Now then, my reason for being here – _not_to be insulted of course. Did you hear the commotion?" enquired Merix.

"Yes."

"Uhh, didn't it bother you?"

"Not really, to be honest I don't care."

"This really does confirm my theory…" said Merix thoughtfully, tapping her index finger onto her chin without realizing.

"Huh?"

"Nothing!" She laughed nervously, trying to reassure her companion.

"Anyway, knowing you, you'll wanna check it out and you decided to drag me along as per usual right?" Stated Saxen.

"You know me too well," said Merix with a wink and a giggle.

The corners of Saxen's mouth rose slightly, forming a small smile on his face, "Of course." He chuckled, "Well then what are we waiting for?"

Both nodded at one another and made their way towards the ever-growing noises they could hear. The closer they got, the louder it became. The two came to a halt in front of large double doors, which lead to the large circular room. _SMASH_! Something crashed into the door, prompting Saxen and Merix to burst through, to find out exactly who was behind it all.

Larxene - in all of her multi-colored hair glory – was standing at the other end of the room, her knives at the ready and sparks of lightning jolting from her fingers. Her eyes were fixed towards the other side of the room (not far from where Merix and Saxen stood) ready to attack whoever stood there. The duo's eyes followed Larxene's daggered (no pun intended) glare to find Axel crouched in fighting stance, ready to defend himself against anything Larxene threw (no pun intended again!) at him.

Wait a minute, that can't be Axel. Is it Axel? No way! The signature red-spikey hair (which was infamous) was now a golden blonde. BLONDE! BLONDE? Even the small triangles under his eyes were a yellow-like color.

"Look, it's 'Super Axel'!" exclaimed Merix trying to stifle her laughter, pointing at Axel's head.

Axel bolted upright, standing straight and turned to face the duo who were now erupting into fits of laughter (with Larxene trying to maintain a serious facial expression, fighting to stop herself from joining in), "S-Shut up!" choked Axel as his chakrins disappeared into thin air.

"Is this your impersonation of a _super saiyan_?" taunted Saxen.

Axel attempted to cover his hair with his hands in frustration, "No it's not! Go away, this doesn't concern you two."

Saxen turned to Merix, "Yeah he's trying to be like Goku in 'Dragonball' don't you think?"

Merix nodded in agreement trying to keep a straight face by biting her lip, "Yes, he definitely is."

Everyone (excluding Axel) burst into more laughter at the mental image of Axel clad in Goku's clothes and in pose for the 'Kamehameha'.

Axel started to growl furiously at the taunts and remarks he was receiving from his fellow members, "Calm down Goldilocks, we're only joking," said Merix in a humorous tone, waving her hands in front of her, palms facing Axel.

"Grrrrrrr!" Axel's hair burst into flames! Yes, BURST from the anger of the ridicule and burned back into his fiery red shade. His tiny triangles crackling back to their original color from the remaining sparks of fire (to his relief).

* * *

><p>(In the Underworld)<p>

Hades' head flamed from a neutral shade of blue to a blazing red and orange color, "WHAT! That's _my _thing!"

* * *

><p>Axel smirked triumphantly, "Looks like the 'do is back: can't pick on my hair anymore." Saxen looked like he was ready to make a remark but decided against it, "Now then…" Axel's chakrins appeared into his hands from bursts of flame and wisps of black smoke, "PAYBACK TIME!" yelled Axel as he charged towards Larxene.<p>

Caught off-guard, she just managed to shield herself from the on-coming attack. The two circled as if in a deadly dance. Merix nudged Saxen, "I think this is our cue to leave," she whispered. Saxen nodded and they both crept out into the corridor, out of harm's way.

Merix turned to Saxen, a serious look forming over her doll-like face, "This was our fault."

Saxen met her gaze, "Yeah it was," he agreed with an emotionless response.

Moments later, they began to laugh, "This worked out better than I thought!" Cheered Merix.

"The quiet ones are always the most deadly," Saxen teased. "Not our fault that our fellow members make a Heartless look intelligent."

"Or the fact that they make an ass outta themselves for assumptions. Y'know what they say about that," added in Merix giggling. "What do ya wanna do now?"

Saxen pretended to think long and hard about how he would respond then proceeded to say, "Let's cut a string off of Demyx's sitar." An evil smirk formed on his face.

"Sounds like a plan Nobody Man!"

Merix and Saxen cautiously crept into Demyx's room, being careful not to wake him. _This'll be so easy_thought Saxen smugly. That was until he saw the sitar was nowhere to be found.

"Damn! Where'd he put that thing," whispered Saxen annoyed.

Merix pointed a slender finger towards the bed, "He's sleeping with it in his arms. Freak."

"Merix, use your telepathy."

"What!" She whispered surprised.

"If you can move his arms off of the sitar I'll make a grab for it," explained Saxen.

"Um, I'm not sure this'll go down well, Sax." Merix responded unsure.

"C'mon, don't be a chicken."

"I'm not a chicken," huffed Merix. Saxen tucked his hands at his waist, pretending to flap imaginary wings and began to cluck (quietly of course) like a chicken. "I'm not a chicken!" Saxen continued to tease Merix until she agreed with a sigh, "Fine, I'll do it."

Merix began to conjure up her powers. Once she felt she was ready, slowly, and carefully – with a mere look of concentration from her eyes – she lifted Demyx's left arm away from the sitar, placing it securely by his side. Suddenly, Demyx moved, causing the two to freeze from the fright. Phew! It was just a yawn. Merix then proceeded to move Demyx's right arm and with sheer concentration, she managed to move his other arm out of the way. Saxen crept up by the bed and made a reach for the sitar, stealing it with great ease from Demyx, just before it hit the ground. He then pulled from his cloak a pair of scissors, snipped off one of the strings quickly, then placed it back securely beside Demyx– he would never know (until tomorrow anyway).

The two companions made their escape from Demyx's room and made a dash down the hallway before anybody could see them. The began imitate what Demyx's reaction will look like when he realizes what's happened to his precious sitar.

"No, no, it'll look like this," said Merix as she pulled a face, looking like she was ready to break down into tears.

"How about this?" Saxen pulled a face, quivering his lip like a child being scolded.

"Or this?"

"This!" Saxen was about to pull a face until he noticed yellow lights in the background…those aren't lights…those are eyes. Yellow eyes. The color drained from Saxen's face once he realized _who_was glaring at them, his eyes wide from horror and his mouth gaping from the shock.

"Ohhhhh, that's a good one Sax!" cheered Merix applauding her friend's facial expression.

Saxen shook his head, "Uh…Merix…behind you…" he warned her pointing towards the person.

Curiously, Merix turned around to face the direction Saxen pointed to. Moments later, her face turned pale, her eyes wide: the same reaction as her companion's.

"Sai'x!" Merix squeaked frightened.

"What are you two doing?" asked Sai'x in his usual cool manner.

"We were just…" began Saxen.

"Just…uh…" finished Merix, searching for a response.

"You were just acting like children. Immaturity isn't tolerated here. Nobodies do not act childish," responded Sai'x bitterly, practically spitting venom at Saxen and Merix. Saxen and Merix put their heads down in embarrassment, their gaze to the floor, "Now that you've decided to behave, I have an assignment for you both."

"What is it?" enquired Saxen interested; the only time he really shows any emotion whatsoever is when pulling pranks, getting missions and the occasional sarcasm.

"It's been reported that a few of our minions have become resistant to our commands and have began converting their former allies. They must be stopped or soon most of our ranks will secede."

"And that would be terrible," Merix chimed in. "I mean, I could probably take a thousand on, but what if there was a thousand and one?"

Sai'x's penetrating stare silenced the 'upstart' member.

"If you're quite finished, go deal with it. Traverse Town." The silver-haired superior finally said.

With a nod of affirmation, both nobodies stepped towards the main chamber, the ever-present, heart-shaped moon making its existence known. One portal summoning later, and the duo had left.

Once on the other side of the dark corridor, Merix let out a frustrated growl. "My God It's like his goal in life is to kill joy!"

"Almost like he's a heartless villain or something," Saxen agreed.

"Honestly, one of these days, we're gonna do something to him" Merix vowed. "Like… I dunno, paint a sun in his room!"

Saxen glanced at her, his expressionless face conveying a questioning stare.

"He likes moons," Merix explained impatiently.

Saxen merely shrugged and checked their surroundings. From what Saxen knew of Traverse Town, it had essentially played the role of a refugee camp for countless citizens who had somehow escaped the plague of darkness gripping their home worlds. Now… well, it was just a town, really. Less people maybe.

"Anyway. Renegade Nobodies." Saxen reminded his ranting companion. "Might want to do something about that."

"Like make them paint Sai'x's room a bright yellow!" Merix announced.

"There's that," Saxen nodded, and walked towards some giant, wooden doors. "Or we could not give Sai'x a reason to murder us in our sleep and do incredibly easy – if boring – work."

Merix continued grumbling, but followed Saxen as he passed the doors, arriving in the town's first district. The place was empty, somewhat unusually. Most likely the work of the Nobody's rebellion.

The two turned right, ascending the stairs that led to some shop and wound round, still not seeing anything.

"Where do these people go when they hide?" Merix wondered aloud. "Are they all shacking up in the accessory shop?"

"Does it matter? It just means we don't have to do some stupid stealth mission." Saxen stated.

District One yielded no results, so they moved onto the second, where they immediately happened upon a passing Dusk.

The contorting Nobody practically froze as it passed by, while the duo stared blankly back.

"…Hi." Merix eventually said waving her hand slightly at it, causing the Dusk to flip wildly and run away.

"Harsh," Saxen commented. "Didn't even get to use your pick up line."

"Did you know I never exempted you from the prank list?" Merix warned. "Now, go get that thing!"

The male rolled his eyes and casually strolled in the direction that the Dusk escaped. Of course, the girl with the telekinesis made the guy with the children's musical instrument chase after the weakest of the weak.

The Dusk had weaved through the air, passing by the motel and into the bell tower on the other side of the district. Saxen figured that it might be planning to launch an ambush as soon as he stepped inside with all his treacherous pals. Basically, mass suicide.

…_Treachery, huh? _Saxen wondered as he walked ever closer to the building. _Why would mindless little peons even consider this? It's not like they can be unhappy with the working conditions._

And yet, the issue constantly nagged at him, trying to force him to study this avenue of thought. He tried to shake it away. There was nothing to analyze. Those Nobodies, somehow, decided to rebel and break free.

Saxen stopped, frowning slightly. They were free? No… they were traitors. That wasn't freedom. That was a life on the run. The organization weren't big fans of retirement. Not the greatest morale booster, and certainly demanded some commitment to the job, but it was all he and Merix had. That may even be true for at least some of the other members.

_It's a nice thought, though._ Saxen's mind continued relentlessly. _Having the ability to choose what you want to do, how to live your life. As fake as it may be._

"Yo, Ditzen!" Merix's voice sailed through the air, wrenching his mind back to the present. "I gave you a job to do, so get to it!"

With a nonchalant wave in her general direction, Saxen focused on his task and walked to the entrance of the tower, opening the door.

What greeted him was a swift kick to the chest, forcing Saxen to the wall behind and pinning the sarcastic Nobody with a soft grunt.

It was one of those shape-shifting Nobodies, the kind that couldn't decide if they wanted to be a shoe or a sword. Within the cramped-looking building were several more Nobodies of various ranks, although the only 'dangerous' looking one was the samurai class.

The Creeper Nobody had distanced itself slightly, morphing into a sword. As it did, Saxen's weapons seemed to emerge from clouds of darkness around his hands. Before the Nobody could thrust itself through his chest, Saxen casually swung a cymbal, the razor-sharp edge cutting through the 'grip' of the sword, and another slice cut the blade.

Once the Nobody had disappeared into oblivion, Saxen stepped towards the tower, several Nobodies attempted to rush towards him.

_Clash_.

The sound waves emitted from the crashing of his cymbals forced the enemies back, slamming into walls and each other. As they lay stunned, Saxen dismissed one of the cymbals, a red ball forming in his hand.

"Fira." The magic ball of fire flew into the crowd, destroying the weaker enemies and damaging anyone else caught in the blast radius. Several Dusks staggered to their feet, while the Samurai slowly advanced.

Ignoring the slowly recovering Dusks for now, Saxen concentrated on the Samurai that drew its blade and ceased its approach, a few mere feet away.

"We're really doing that?" Saxen sighed. "Well, fine."

Saxen stepped forward, a single cymbal raised to chest height, while the Samurai pointed its blade skyward. Time seemed to slow down as the two faced off, daring each other to make the first move.

Finally, the Samurai began to move, the blade lowered to cleave Saxen, but before it could take a step forward, the bored looking Nobody simply threw his weapon onto its head, shredding the warrior with ease.

Deciding not to comment on how silly it was to expect a cymbal to be used in a quick draw in the first place, Saxen brought both weapons back to his hands, and finished the job.

A few minutes later, Merix leaned against the wall just outside the tower when her companion emerged, none the worse for wear. "Have fun?"

"I considered giggling manically at one point, but that didn't feel original," Saxen replied. "Thanks for your valuable contribution, by the way. Got us through so much quicker."

"Yeah yeah, I' m awesome and stuff, so let's go and report back." Merix waved the comment away with a roll of her eyes.

* * *

><p>"Dismissed."<p>

Sai'x', with no other words to accompany that statement, practically ignored the pair and returned to writing something down in his journal or report or secret diary. Whatever seemed more likely.

Saxen nodded and turned to leave, with Merix following suit. In the empty hallways, she made sure the silver-haired member wasn't about to pounce on them before saying, "You know, the occasional praise is awesome for morale, I hear. He should try it."

"Yeah, I'm sure if he just said 'good job you guys, hugs and kisses all around', we'd be far more willing to waste our time with his stupid odd-jobs."

"You almost sound genuinely annoyed," Merix said with a grin. "Don't tell me you learned to emote!"

Saxen didn't reply, but the organization member approaching them caught his attention.

"Hey guys!" Demyx greeted them with a small wave. "Glad I caught you, I need a favour."

"What? We're not pranking anyone, it's not our thing," Merix lied quite blatantly, leaving the blonde Nobody looking confused.

"What? It's nothing like that! And it's for him anyway," Demyx nodded in Saxen's direction. "So, guy, you hear that Sai'x' paired us up for sparring?"

The silent young man shook his head.

"When'd he do that?" Merix asked.

"It's on the billboard." Demyx pointed out impatiently. "And look, I'm kinda skating on thin ice, and if I lose, Sai'x; might… y'know…"

Saxen exhaled. "So you want me to throw the match?"

"Thanks!" Demyx apparently took that as an affirmative, and immediately took his leave, calling over his shoulder, "I'll pay ya back for this, man! See you tomorrow!"

The duo watched the sitar-playing member leave, before the female rounded on Saxen and said in disbelief, "You're not really going to-"

"Nope," Saxen replied simply. "I don't mind throwing pointless fights, but that's Demyx. I can't bear losing to hm."

Merix looked relieved. "Great. Kick his ass, maybe get him fired, and go on with our lives." She then tilted her head, looking thoughtful. "…Although, if we're doing that to him, maybe we should leave the sitar alone?"

Saxen only shrugged again. "Heh, bit too late for that. Well, whatever. Let's get changed and hit the pub."


End file.
